Welcome to Ask Jen, a weekly Q&A with the “career doctor” herself
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This week, Jen tackles the difficult question: Should I dress up for Halloween at work?
At our ages, we might get more than a few dirty looks if we went door-to-door trick-or-treating, but being an adult doesn’t mean it’s time to put Halloween six feet under! From handing out candy to seeing a scary movie, there are so many ways to get into the spirit. With Halloween falling on a Wednesday this year, a lot of major cities throw Halloween festivals that are GREAT for people watching and getting to work on time the next morning. New York City throws one in Greenwich Village; San Diego celebrates in the Gaslamp District; Oaxaca, Mexico, kicks off the three-day Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration; and if you’re in London, it’s your last chance to check out the Halloween Witch Fest at The London Dungeon, the world’s first fully-interactive horror museum.If you want to celebrate Halloween at work, make sure to find out ahead of time if it’s even okay to dress up. It’s better to play it safe, step away from the sexy costumes and consider stocking up on some Halloween bags and candy, baby pumpkins and other funky decorations. Just think twice about planting a cackling witch or some plastic spiders in your boss’ desk drawer…unless of course you have that kind of relationship! The absolute last thing you want to do is to be the only one in full-on vampire mode at the office and nothing to change into (think Reese Witherspoon showing up at a party in a bunny costume in Legally Blonde.) That said, use your common sense and think about where you work and your role at the company. Playing it safe doesn’t mean you can’t eek out a few good laughs though: If you wear a suit, wear a Superman t-shirt underneath and go as Clark Kent, or find a bad toupee and go as The Donald. Other possibilities? Dress up in your favorite outfit from the 70s, buy a pair of fangs and say you’re a corporate vampire, or show up with messy hair and an untucked shirt and say you’re someone who overslept. Cheesy yes, but it gets the job done.
Speaking of dress shirts, leave the Tom Cruise in Risky Business impression for the weekend parties, okay? But feel free to send us pictures!
